Reflections at the Intersection of American History, Religion, Politics, and Academic Life

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

What If Francis DID Meet With Kim Davis?

I wrote this post last night, so perhaps by now the Vatican has confirmed or denied whether or not Pope Francis met with Kim Davis. It is certainly possible that this is a fabrication, But it also possible that the story is true.

It is very interesting to watch the Twittersphere explode over this. If my feed is any indication, there are a lot thoughtful people who just can't imagine the Pope doing such a thing.

Of course the Davis camp has fabricated things before. A supposed meeting with Davis, however, would be an even more elaborate lie on the part of Mat Staver and Liberty Counsel. David Gibson of Religion News Service has recently posted more details about the supposed visit. It is hard to make-up such detail. Would Staver really risk his reputation here by making up a story about Davis wearing her hair differently so she could sneak privately into the Vatican embassy with her husband? I don't know. (This article in the New York Times notes that Staver says photos of the meeting are on the way).

As I argued last night,it makes perfect sense from an ideological perspective (Catholic social teaching) that Francis would meet with Davis.

If Francis did meet with Kim Davis, those who loved the more progressive things the Pope said last week would probably feel betrayed. A Pope who meets with Kim Davis would no longer be useable to the Left.

On one level, the Pope may have surprised us again. He will not be politicized. On another level, we should not be surprised. This is all Catholic Social Teaching 101. Should we expect anything different from a Pope?